Susan Stoll Interview Presbytery of Milwaukee June 1, 2015

Transcription

1 Susan Stoll Interview Presbytery of Milwaukee June 1, 2015 I had the good fortune to attend the ordination and installation service of Susan J. Stoll at Immanuel Presbyterian Church as Part-time Associate Pastor for spiritual care on May 3, The sermon was given by The Rev. Dr. Frances Taylor Gench. The service was elegant, stately and very moving. I asked Susan a few questions about her new life, and here is what she had to say. Your recent ordination and installation mark the beginning of a second career. What words of encouragement would you offer to others who might be contemplating a similar call to the ministry? The encouragement I would offer to anyone contemplating a call to ministry as a second career is the importance of prayer, listening to the voices in the church, family members, and others who know and care for you. It was through the voices of various people in my home church that God began nudging me towards a particular ministry. Some of us have to take quite a leap of faith to get in stride with the Shepherd! Key to my decision-making about going to seminary (after being out of college for over 30 years) was discerning God s unrelenting call upon my life to the ministry of the Word and Sacrament. And prayer private and corporate was essential in the discernment process. Another word of encouragement is hang on to the One who has called you, for it can be quite a ride. I never liked roller coaster rides when I went to amusement parks as a child, but a faith journey can sure seem like you re on one. There are times of exuberant climbs up to new heights and times when you can only drop to your knees. But the beauty of God s call is that you aren t in it alone. There s a deep knowing as you go forward, following and living into God s call, that you are being surrounded, upheld, steadied, equipped, and guided by the Holy Spirit. And bless the community of faith who are traveling this road with you at every up, down, and curve along the way. Get ready for quite a ride! 1

2 What are the challenges in being a pastor as a second career, versus being ordained as a first career? Or are there distinct advantages? First off, I think there are challenges in being a pastor as a second career. One of the biggest challenges for me had to do with age. I was a bit older than most seminarians, which means that I was probably the same age as the mothers of my younger seminarian friends. I was aware that my time in ministry would be more limited when compared to the possibilities and time in the pulpit of younger pastors. And of course, there s the aspect of one s energy level. Though young at heart, the rigorous course workload and internships required discipline and time-management. Since my husband and I lived in Washington, DC, I commuted to Richmond, VA, on a weekly basis for five years (for two master s degrees). I lived in a campus apartment Monday-Friday, driving home on the weekends. Our children were grown, so we were empty nesters, but my mother lived in a nearby assisted living residence and I needed to see her on weekends as well. But on the flip side, there are distinct advantages in being a second-career pastor. Life experiences have burnished my life, bringing wisdom and an expanded realization of God s love and faithfulness in all seasons of life. I have gained a deep sense of God s abiding and guiding presence. I have had disappointments along the way, but when I look back from a new perspective, I see that the No s or Not Yet s have prepared me for God s Yes s. I ve gained a resilient heart, yearning to be who God has called me to be. Perhaps I m a late bloomer, but what I m sure of at this stage in life is that God has given us this incredible gift of life. As a second career person called to the ministry as a teaching elder with a focus on coming alongside those who are moving through grief and loss, I m grateful for what has been for all the learning moments in my life. And I m grateful for what is only now beginning for this new time of living into my call. For those of us who are not ordained, what were the sweet moments in the journey? Many sweet moments have taken bloom along my journey. I recall the moment when I learned that I was accepted in the extended campus 2

3 program at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education (Union-PSCE, now known as Union Presbyterian Seminary) in Richmond, VA. I was the Director of Christian Education at Georgetown Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., at the time. I was discerning God s ever-increasing nudge for me to get a strong theological education, so I applied to this special program that would allow me to work towards a Master of Arts in Christian Education while working half time at the church. This acceptance, even though I only had three years of undergraduate education, was a big yes towards moving forward in following God s call. I soon became a full-time student at the seminary. Other sweet experiences were all the moments spent at Ingleside at Rock Creek in Washington, D.C., an assisted living and health center residential home where my mother spent her last years. I would often be their guest preacher, leading worship at their Sunday chapel service, with my mother reading the scripture passages. She often told me that she couldn t read the Bible out loud because whenever she tried, it would bring tears to her eyes. But she eventually was comfortable doing so, and oh, how she could read scripture! Her beautiful and heartfelt reading of God s word brought other people to tears. Before she died, she asked if I would do her memorial service. I answered in the affirmative. I suggested that we sit down together and write both hers and mine, which we did. Officiating at her Service of Witness to the Resurrection among her friends, whom I had come to know and love, was one of the sweetest and most difficult things I ve ever done. God answered my prayer that my tears would be bottled up for at least an hour (which was almost fully answered in the affirmative). When the scripture was read that day, there was the sweetest fragrance of the Lord... and of my Mom who is now in the full presence of God. Another sweet moment in my journey to this new beginning as Associate Pastor for spiritual care was at my ordination and installment at Immanuel Presbyterian Church. It was time in the service for me to kneel and for the teaching and ruling elders to come forward and place their hands the hands of the church - upon my head and shoulders. All those hands upon me felt heavy, not in the sense of uncomfortable, but heavy in the sense of holy. It was a powerful connectional moment between God and the church. 3

4 The sweetness of that Holy Spirit moment will be remembered for the rest of my life as I live into God s purposes, helping care for the Shepherd s flock. Your singing at the service was a high point, a very poignant and personal message to the congregation. How did you make the decision to sing and what did it mean to you to offer that beautiful moment to us in the pews? God has long put a song in my heart. According to my mother, I use to sing Jesus Loves Me full throttle from my high chair while accompanying myself with a spoon. And I ve been singing ever since. There was a time in my younger years when I sang vocal recitals in the U.S. and a few places in Europe (and yes, I was not a household name). God s call upon my life is to faithfully communicate full throttle - the love and grace of God in Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. So singing the benediction in worship among the household of God is one of my greatest joys. What traits did you admire most in your seminary professors? Why? What learning do you find most useful in your position in spiritual care? For me, the most admired traits of most of my seminary professors were their passion for teaching, their diligence in preparing us for leadership in the church, their patience as we worked towards meaning-making, their compassion in moments of frustration, their humor (as one of my very favorite professors use to say) when she rattled our cages to wider places of theological understanding and action, and their encouragement that prompted us to greater heights than we ever thought possible. The teaching and mentoring I received during my yearlong chaplaincy internship at Westminster Canterbury in Richmond, VA, was invaluable. It was there that I learned the importance of being a loving and compassionate presence with people. As I come along side to offer spiritual care, I pray that I will put others at ease through a calming presence. As I deeply listen to their stories, as I m trusted to hear their doubts and fears, and as I respond with the tenderness of acceptance, I m called to show in word and deed the abiding love and healing grace of the One who has given us life, surrounds us with everlasting love, redeems our missteps and 4

5 lost opportunities, and sustains us through every season of our life. This learning and giving of spiritual care is open ended, but it was certainly jump-started during my years as a chaplain intern. Another place of opportunity and transformative learning happened during my pastoral internship at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. God stretched me out of my comfort zone, bringing me to a new place of ministry with the homeless. This experiential learning helped me transcend the need of my own comfort in order that I might better see and understand the hardships and needs of a people long ignored yet who are a significantly visible part of our society. Thanks, Susi! God s blessings on your new life. 5